Daniel Lambert (born March 13, 1770, died 12 June, 1809) was a man from Leicester (Leicestershire) in England, who became nationally famous for his obesity. When he died he weighed 739 pounds (336 kg). When he reached the weight of 700 lb (318 kg) in 1806, he started touring, charging five shillings (£0.25) a head to look at him. He died suddenly in Stamford in 1809, where the wall of the public house in which he was staying had to be dismantled to remove his body. He is now buried in St. Martin's churchyard in Stamford. At the time it was thought that he was the fattest man in the country, and possibly beyond. The Stamford Museum has a display that contrasts his clothes with those of the man thought to be the smallest in the local area.

A local anecdote is that he would visit the many pubs in Stamford and challenge visitors to a race, with the one proviso he had a small head start. There are many narrow passageways in Stamford that act as short cuts between the major streets. Once he was ahead, he would use these passageways and because of his size prevent his opponent from being able to pass. The result was that despite his size he would always win.

Daniel's Final Measurements Height: 5' 11" Waist: 9' 4" Calf: 3' 1" Weight: 739lbs

Daniel's father, John Lambert, was the Keeper of the County Bridewell (House of Correction) on Highcross Street in Leicester.

As a boy, Daniel was athletic and healthy. He often taught children to swim in Leicester's River Soar. At the age of fourteen, Daniel was sent to work in Birmingham as an engraver and letter-cutter. He worked there for seven years before returning to Leicester to replace his father as Keeper of the Bridewell.

The Bridewells were run by local magistrates and originally places for vagrants, they now housed minor offenders. The Keeper was expected to make prisoners work in order to subsidise his salary. Daniel earned 21 pounds a year to run an establishment that basically consisted of three rooms. The prisoners appeared to hold Daniel in high regard. A report in 1809 states, "He never forbore to make the greatest exertions to assist them at the time of their trials." Apparently several prisoners left the prison pledging their gratitude for Daniel's support, and most apparently also left in tears. Certainly the magistrates seemed very happy with him. For when the Bridewell was merged with the county prison in 1804, and his services were no longer required, they granted him a pension.

Daniel was an excellent sportsman and he also bred cockerels and dogs. An avid hunter, by the age of 28 it was said that he was able to lift five hundredweight with ease. Being the sportsman that he was, it is puzzling as to how he managed to gain his weight. His immediate family were moderately proportioned, so we can only assume that there may have been an underlying medical factor.

Daniel's weight increase seems to have begun at the time he was Keeper of the Bridewell. With work that involved little activity, this is certainly a contributing factor. However, he did not drink and never ate more than one dish at mealtimes, stressing perhaps some type of metabolism disorder.

In 1793, Daniel's' weight had increased to 448 lbs, and by 1804, Daniel weighed in at 686 lbs! In March 1806, Daniel had no choice but to commission a special carriage which would carry him to London where he had plans to exhibit himself as a natural curiosity. He arrived in London in April, weighing a huge 700lbs.

This was a very traumatic time for Daniel, he craved his privacy and did not enjoy his exhibitionism, so in September 1806, he returned to Leicester to live privately

By December, he was on tour again in Birmingham, Hinckley, Coventry and other towns. In the Spring of 1807 and 1808 he also paid further visits to London. Daniel charged an admission fee of five shillings (approximately a dime), quite a considerable amount of money back then. There are also suggestions that souvenirs of him were sold too. Records of one visit include the purchasing of a picture "of this hideous mass of flesh." So why did Daniel expose himself to curiosity when it appeared that he disliked it so much?

The most apparent reason is money. His financial needs were immense if you consider his size. Special clothing, extra servants and custom built carriages all required money. A woman once asked him the cost of his coat, to which he replied, "If you think it proper to make me a present of a new coat, you will then know exactly what it costs." Daniel disliked personal questions, people who tried to see him without paying and he especially hated being weighed.

In June 1809, Daniel arrived in Stamford for the races. He took lodgings at an Inn and died suddenly at 9 am on Wednesday 21st June. Daniel had grown so huge, that the only way that they could remove his body was by demolishing a wall. Daniel was buried two days later in a coffin built on wheels containing 112 ft of elm wood. It took more than 20 men to lower it down a ramp into his final resting place - St. Martin's Churchyard, Stamford. Daniel's weight at death was 739lbs.

Daniel was known as a cheery fellow and yet he must have been a tortured soul. Forced to make a living by becoming a "peep-show" curiosity must have been especially difficult for a man who craved privacy. If there is some consolation in Daniel's' often anguished life, it rested with his character. His disposition and willingness to help, ensured him many a good friend.

Of course Daniel's weight has now been surpassed, but he still holds his place in the Guinness Book of Records. He became a folk hero even before his death, cartoonists would often picture him and a wax model of him found its way to America in 1813, where it was exhibited in Mix's Museum in New Haven. The model was also to appear in P.T. Barnum's famous American Museum.

Still a crowd attraction even in death, exhibits of Daniel's clothes, custom built chair and other artifacts, are on display at museums in Stamford and Leicester.